Sling and buckle



April 1924.

W. J. CARR SLING AND BUCKLE Filed Dec. 21 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 8, 1924. 1 1,490,066

w. J. CARR I SLING AND BUCKLE I Filed D66. 21 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apia. 8, 1924. A

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. CARR, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON; GENOA LILLIAN CARR LEGATEE AND DISTRIBUTEE OF SAID WILLIAM J. CARR, DECEASED.

SLING AND BUCKLE.

Application filed December 21, 1921. Serial No. 523,974.

To all whom it may concern. 7

Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. CARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashingt'on, have invented certain new and at a fire.

useful Improvements in Slings and Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in slings and buckles and more particularly to a sling designed especially for use by firemen, the general object of the invention A being to provide a sling which will prove of great assistance to a fireman in the various tasks he is called upon to perform while More specifically the invention has as one of its objects to provide a sling which may be readily applied and worn without any inconvenience and without interfering in any way with body movements and whichmay be employed in various ways and will prove of great assistance to the fireman in heeling the hose lines, carrying chemical tanks and pump cans up ladders, carrying sick and injured persons, lowering persons from burning buildings, supporting hose upon the ladder, as a safety belt, and infact in numerous other ways which will suggest them-,

of any desired length.

buckle being so constructed that it may be readily engaged with the strap to form a closed loop inthe strap and may be readily disengaged therefrom to open the loop thereof but accidental disengagement of the strap from the buckle is positively prevented. t A

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective'view of the sling embodying the invention, the sling strap being looped;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device with thesling strap open;

t Figure 3 is a .perspectiveview in detail of the sling strap and buckle associated therewith; r

Figure 4' is a view in elevation of the buckle, the view illustrating also, in cross section, the sling strap and showing the manner in which the strap is to be engaged in the buckle;

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which a pair of the slings is to be employed in carrying a sick or in jured person;

Figure -6 is a similar view illustrating the manner in which one fireman alone may carry an injured person;

manner in which the device is to be employed in lowering a person from a burning building; l I

Figure 8 is a rear elevaton of the device employed as in Figure? Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the device is to be employed in'heeling a hose line;

' Figure 10 is a similar view illustrating the use of the device in carrying a chemical tank. i

Figure 11 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the device where the hose line is to be handled upon a ladder.

The device embodying the invention includes a body strap which is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and which may be of any material suitable for the purpose and Near one end this strap is turned back upon itself as indicated by the numeral 2 so as to provide a closed loop for the connection of a buckle 3 of ordinary construction, the opposite end portion of the strap, indicated by the numeral 4: being adapted tobe engaged through this buckle so as to form the strap into a closed loop adapted to encircle the body and be preferably suspended or hung over one shoulder. At its end 2 the vstrap'is preferably provided witha belt slide 5 through which the free end 4tof the strap is engaged after being passed through the buckle 3,

and a similar slide 6 is connected with the a snap hook L0 which is to be employed.

indicated by the numeral 7. The opunder conditions to be presently explained. A similar snap-hook 11 is connected with the loop 7 and a ring 12 is also cmi-ncrted with this loop.

The device further includes a sling strap which is indicated in general by the numeral 13 and this strap is folded upon itself at oneend to provide a closed ,loop 1 1 en-. gaged through the ring 12 and in this man her the said strap 13 is connected with one end of the looped body strap 1. The strap 13 may be of any desired length and at'its free end it is folded upon itself to form a loop 15 which is permanently engaged through a bail 16 forming a part of the sling strap buckle which buckle is indicated in general by the numeral 17 and is more clearly shown in Figures 3'. and 1 of the drawings.

The buckle 17 comprises a body of substantially openv triangular form, one side of the body being indicated by the numeral 18, another side by the numeral 19, and the third side by the numeral 20. The side 18 is integrally joined with the shank of the buckle which is indicated by the numeral 21 and which is located between the body of the buckle and the bail 16. The side 19 of the body extends between the outer ends of the sides 18 and 20 and constitutes the strap bar of the buckle, and the side 20 extends inwardly from the end of the side 19 and terminates short of the shank 21 so that a throat 22 is provided for the introduction of the sling strap 13. The extremity of the side 20 of the buckle body is indicated by the numeral 23 and as illustrated in the drawings is preferably rounded, and the said extremity is presented to and located opposite 'the'base of the side 18 of the buckle body where it joins the shank 21.. Outwardly beyond the extremity 23 of'the side 20, the bail of the buckle is provided with a shoulder 24, and a lug is formed at the base of the side 18 of the buckle body and is located at the other side of the extremity 23 of the side member 20. The lug 25 likewise constitutes a shoulder and is preferably of conoidal form, and its extremity is presented in the general direction of the extremity of the side member 20 of the buckle body but laterally displaced with relation thereto, the space between the ex tremit-ies of the said side 20 and the said lug being but slightly greater than the thickness of the sling strap 18 which is .to be introduced through the throat However, the throat 22 is restricted in a sense,

because the disposition of the shoulders 24,

and 25 and the extremity 23 of the side member 20 is such that the strap 13 cannot be introduced directly througl-i the throat and into the loop or body of the buckle. More specifically the disposition of these elements is such that a straight line touching the points of the shoulders 24: and 25 as for example the line a in Figure 4;, and a line 7) drawn parallel thereto and touching the extremity 23 of the side member 20 will be spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of the strap 13. 'lherefore in order to pass the strap 13 edgewise through the throat 22 and into the loop of the buckle, it is necessary that the strap be transversely flexed as illustrated in the said Figure 4, the distance between the shoulders 24 and 25 being less than the width of the strap as illustrated in said figure. lit will now be evident that while, by flexing the strap transversely, it may be readily introduced into the loop of the buckle or disengaged therefrom, nevertheless accidental disengagen'ient of the strap from the loop is positivelyprevented as after the strap has been passed into the loop it will flatten out and cannot again be passed through the throat 22 until it is flexed in the same manner as when introduced into the loop through the throat.

'Various methods of using the device above described will suggest themselves to the firemen under emergency conditions, and Fig ures 5 to 10 inclusive are representative of some ways in which one or more of the devices may be employed. In Figure 5 for example, where it is desired to support a sick or injured person between two firemen to better enable them to carry the person from a burning structure, the buckle 17 of each device will be engaged with the. snap hook 11 of the other device so that the sling straps 13 will extend between the firemen, and the person to be carried may be seated upon one of these straps and may rest his back against the other strap.

As illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings the device may be soarranged upon the firemanand upon the body of the person to be carried, as to enable the person to be carried upon the back of the fireman thus leaving the firemans arms free to enable him to more readily ascend or descend a ladder.

As illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, a pair of the devices may be engaged with the body of a person to be lowered from a-burning structure by fitting the body straps 1 about the thighs and then extending the sling straps 13 across the back and chest and engaging the buckles 17 with the snap-hooks 11, a rope B being engaged through the rings 12 of the two devices and tied as illustrated in the said figures so 218170. enable the person to be suspended.

Figure 9 of the drawings illustrates the manner in which the devices may be employed by the required number of firemen in heeling a high pressure hose line.

The, device is equally useful in supporting a chemical tank upon the back as illustrated in Figure 10 of the drawings under which hook 11 with the lower end of the tank.

It will be evident that the snap-hook 11 serves as a convenient means whereby a spanner wrench (not shown) may be suspended from the device in position for immediate use.

Where it is required to handle a hose upon a ladder, two of the devices may be employed with great efiectiveness in the manner illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings, one of the devices being engaged about the fireman handling the hose and connected with the ladder so as to support him in position and leave his arms free to manipulate the hose, and the other device being suspend from one of the rungs of the ladder and connected with the hose in a manner to assist in supporting the same.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a

body strap having its ends fastened together whereby to define opposed loops, a ring suspended in one loop of the said strap, a hook likewise suspended from the said loop of the body strap, a sling strap suspended at one end from the ring, and a buckle carried by the free end of the sling strap and engageable with an intermediate portion of the said strap or with said hook at will.

2. In a device of the class described, a body strap having its ends fastened together whereby to form opposed loops, a ring suspended in one loop of the said strap, a hook carried by the opposite loop of the body strap and fixed relative thereto, a second hook suspended in the same loop with the ring, a sling strap suspended at one end i from the ring, and a buckle carried by the free end of the sling strap and engageable with an intermediate portion of the said strap or with the second hook at will.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature WILLIAM J. CARR. ?[L. s.] 

